Horse Racing Alberta announced Monday that Century Casinos Inc. is the successful applicant to own, build and operate an ‘A’ track horse racing facility.

To be called Century Mile, the new facility will be located between the Edmonton International Airport and the RedTail Landing golf course.

“We’re absolutely excited,” said Paul Ryneveld, racing manager of the Century Downs racetrack at Balzac, also owned by Century Casinos Inc.

“With our arrangement with the government and the history of horse racing in Edmonton, horse racing has the potential to be great again.

“We just need the stability and this new facility will provide that. The focus will be on getting Alberta horse racing breeding and ownership back to where it used to be.”

The Century Casinos application won approval over three others. Originally, seven groups applied to build a new facility in the Edmonton area, a number that was narrowed down to four by the beginning of the September.

Century Downs, which opened last year just north of Calgary and has been primarily racing standardbreds, will be the model for Century Mile — a gaming/horse racing facility, albeit at twice the size of Century Downs.

For starters, Century Mile will be a one-mile track, making it the only such horse-racing track in Western Canada.

It will also have stabling for some 800 horses.

Moreover, as a gaming/entertainment centre, Century Mile will hold 1,100 slot machines — the maximum allowable in Alberta. Northlands currently has about half that number.

The cost of the new project is approximately $50 million.

“Century Casinos have proven experience in both gaming and horse racing and will bring that experience, strength and success to the Edmonton area Race Track Facility project,” Horse Racing Alberta said in a statement posted Monday afternoon.

Ryneveld said construction “will begin as soon as possible.”

“If things go well, we will get some work started by the end of the year,” he said. “However, I tend to be a realist and don’t expect actual dirt movement to begin until the spring of 2017, which would mean that actual racing will begin in the third quarter of 2018.

“Century Downs broke ground in March of 2014 and opened April 1, 2015. A year of construction is realistic.”

The need for a new racetrack in Edmonton follows Northlands’ announcement earlier this year that they were getting out of the horse racing business. Since then, Northlands has made statements that they may race again.

“We respect Horse Racing Alberta for the process and look forward to talking to them about what the future of racing will look like in 2017 and beyond,” said Tim Reid, Northlands president and chief executive officer.

Horse Racing Alberta chief executive officer Shirley McClellan said her organization didn’t know if Northlands planned to “run in the interim, but we anticipate they will run next year.”

“We’ve approached Northlands and we’ve approached the City of Edmonton,” she said. “We are working on that.”

Veteran thoroughbred trainer Rick Hedge said the news of the new track “is best thing that has happened for horse racing in a long time.”

“It’s been a slow death at Northlands for the last 10 years,” said Hedge. “A new track is perfect and a mile track is ideal. We’ll probably get horses from Vancouver that will want to come and run here.”

Ryneveld said space will be left in the inside of the one-mile track to possibly also accommodate a seven-eighths-of-a-mile standardbred track.

He predicted great things for Century Mile.

“It’s a pocket of the Edmonton market that is lacking in gaming, while the current Northlands site is the most congested gaming market in Edmonton.”

The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Alberta — which represents the interests of owners, trainers and employees in the thoroughbred-racing industry — is “excited to work with a group that is committed to the racing industry in the province of Alberta,” said its president, Dr. Steve Smith.

“We are looking for stability and get people investing in the industry again,” said Smith. “Century Casinos wants racing and we want a facility that will still be there in 10 years.

“Northlands has been a good industry partner and we will miss the facility. Hopefully we can continue working with them in the interim.”

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